30 Days of Adrinette
by deijnar
Summary: Up to 30 One-Shots (depending on my time management) dedicated to Adrien's and Marinette's relationship / This is my contribution to Adrinette April 2018 ran by Adrinetteapril on Tumblr!
1. Hypothetical Stargazing (Day 1: Hide)

Author's note: I know there are some prompts for Max Appreciation Week I missed out so far but I plan to catch up on them soon! Until then please enjoy my contribution to Adrinette April! :)

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After some incidents that may or may not have been caused by no one else than Alya Césaire herself the school had decided to tighten their Akuma-Attack-Policy. In conclusion the building got closed off every time there was an akuma alert to prevent nosy students from getting hurt or even worse.

As Ladybug she'd told in an interview for the Ladyblog that she completely approved of this decision since it improved the safety of everyone but apparently she didn't like the changes at all. In fact she cursed them and frustration took its toll on her while she was trapped inside an old classroom with none other than Adrien Agreste. How could it be any different?

Madame Bustier had just pushed them into the room and said "Hide in here until this is over. I'll come back for you!" before locking the door.

Now Marinette was desperate to find a solution. If she wouldn't succeed to get out of here in time she would not only die of heart failure but also the improvement of everyone's safety would be lapsed.

"So… uhm…" awkwardly Adrien scratched his neck as he hesitantly looked up at Marinette. "I'm glad you're safe" he said and although he seemed pretty nervous himself his smile was still genuine.

Marinette felt the heart failure approaching fast.

Timidly she smiled back at him. "Me too… I-I mean I'm glad you're safe too, with me. Not that the fact we're in here together means anything special to me! I mean it's not like I dislike it it's just…" Realizing that the babbled again she groaned in frustration and face palmed in defeat. "I need to get out of here immediately" she mumbled to herself with no intention to actually say it out loud.

Surprised Adrien raised an eyebrow. "You do?" he asked a little worried and stepped close to her. "What would you want out there?"

Frozen she stared at him for a moment, completely taken aback by the fact that it were just the two of them in the same room with Adrien only one step away from her. Suddenly she began to fidget.

"Well, you know… I need to… there's this thing I need to-" she stuttered while trying to come up with a plausible excuse.

For some reason his eyes widened abruptly and he began to stutter too. "Oh! Uhm. That's… unfortunate. Can you… Do you think you can hold it in until the attack is over?" he asked and gave her a concerned look.

This can't be true, she thought as she fought back the strong urge to rip out her hair and start to hysterically cry in embarrassment. Now he thought she needed to pee. Great.

"No worries I can handle it" she answered resigned. If there still had been a possibility that this dreamlike boy would like her one day it had vanished the second the door had been closed behind them. The damage was done and couldn't be revoked.

"To be honest I would rather be outside too. I don't like to be trapped in small places too much…" he confessed sheepishly.

Just for one second Marinette scolded herself for not coming up with that excuse before fully concentrating on Adrien's well-being.

"Should I give you your space?" she asked and already took some steps back providently. She did not know that much about Claustrophobia but the last thing she wanted was to make Adrien feel uneasy.

But he just smiled at her while shaking his head. "No need to, it's not that bad. It's actually kind of comforting that you're here with me so you should rather come closer. I like to lie down on the ground in situations like this. Want to join me?" he asked and reached out his hand to her. Enchanted Marinette got lost in his breathtaking eyes and ever so cute smile as she automatically took the hand he was offering her.

Careful not to give her a tug he sat down and she followed suit. Then they lied down next to each other and looked up to the ceiling.

 _It's actually kind of comforting that you're here with me so you should rather come closer._

Those words echoed in Marinette's ears and she smiled like an idiot. Even though their hands weren't touching anymore they were still pretty close and she was sure this must be dream.

This couldn't be happening. There was no chance she was laying on the ground next to the greatest boy of entire Paris after touching his hand and the reassurement that he was glad she was with him.

Yet exactly that had happened.

"It would be perfect to have a starlit sky to look at right now" Adrien's dreamy voice interrupted her thoughts. He turned his face to look at her. "We should definitely visit a planetarium together soon!" he suggested and Marinette's heart skipped a beat. The situation just got even better.

"S-Sure" was everything she managed to answer and hurried to turn her face back to the ceiling in a petty attempt to hide her blush. Luckily he turned his head back too.

"Awesome! I really enjoy spending time with you, you know? Even when we're locked up" he joked and laughed playfully.

Joyfully chuckling Marinette began to relax. She always got that caught up in her crush on him that she forgot to just appreciate their time together. And that was exactly what she would do now. Chat Noir just had to deal with the akuma stuff until Adrien would fall asleep and she could sneak out our something.

Unfortunately she was the one falling asleep.

Gently Adrien's soft voice awoke her, telling her that it had been a false alarm and they were able to leave now.

Already mourning over the fact that she'd overslept their togetherness he asked her if she wanted to see the planetarium right now. Smiling he offered her his hand again.

Maybe these new rules weren't that bad after all.


	2. Games Night (Day 2: Gaming)

Tensed Marinette stared at the moving dices. Fatefully they stopped moving and 8 little black dots represented her destructive destiny.

"Nooooo!" she screamed in agony as Adrien at the other side of the table laughed mischievously. Demandingly he reached out his hand while she moved her thimble to Boardwalk which was decorated with an ominous little hotel.

"Pay, Dupain-Cheng" he claimed merciless while Marinette stared at her cards lying on top of the table.

"I can't!" she whined at the view of all the 'MORTGAGED' letterings in front of her. Desperately she searched for _anything_ she could sell but the truth was she'd been defeated.

"Can't I just pay with my body?" she asked tiredly with her head in her hands.

The words had slipped from her mouth before she could stop herself and she wanted to melt on the spot the second they were out.

Adrien flushed furiously and so did Marinette while Alya nearly broke the table by smashing on it as she bubbled over with laughter. Nino seemed to be conflicted whether to join the blushing in embarrassment or explode with laughter too. He decided to go with a mix.

It really wasn't Marinette's fault though! This whole evening had been just so exhausting. It was simply an impossible challenge to achieve anything playing Monopoly when _all of_ your friends are cheating and you are the only faithful person at the table. Seriously, how should she accomplish anything while Nino constantly snitched money out of the bank he was managing that Alya mostly swiped at unobserved moments? And Adrien completely had exploited his best friend's pity over his awful table game skills and had greedily accepted all of Nino's charity.

And then there was pure cute Marinette, trying to win the righteous way and terribly failing to do so. The little amount of streets she had been capable to keep was entirely mortgaged and she nearly had no money at all. And apparently all those frustration had culminated in her offering her body to her crush.

You might say that the games night did not exactly go the way she had planned it to.

Wiping away her tears Alya finally managed to sit up straight again after far too much time of awkward silence between Marinette and Adrien. "Girl, just give him the rest of your money and we'll see who of us the best cheater is."

Glad that the situation was over and they seemed to agree not to discuss her blooper any further Marinette followed Alya's suggestion but got interrupted in the process.

"Did you just call me a cheater?" Nino asked in disgust, gaining crocked eyebrows from the two girls in front of him.

"Fine, I did" he admitted and looked down to count his money without any further complaint.

"You did?!" Adrien asked shocked and stared at him in disbelief.

With a sympathetic expression Nino placed his hand on Adrien's shoulder. "Oh my poor boy you have so much left to learn" he said before turning back to his money. "Alya did too by the way" he added without lifting his head.

Adrien's flabbergasted glimpse flew to Alya.

"And you did too" she stated with a smirk and his eyes widened in shock.

"What? No! What did I do? I did not intent to!" He seemed to be near a mental breakdown and Marinette felt bad for him. On the contrary Alya seemed to enjoy the situation a whole lot.

"You clearly teamed up with Nino accepting his way too good deals? C'mon Agreste you can't tell me you did not realize they were fishy."

Apparently Adrien seemed to be close to tears. "I am so sorry guys! If I have the most money I don't want the victory!" he declared selflessly but Alya just grinned at him.

"No worries hot stuff, I stole most of it while you reflected your whole life" she confessed with a shrug and while Adrien actually looked relieved Nino raised his voice again.

"What?!"

But Alya just continued counting her money with a devilish grin on her face and Nino put his colorful pieces of paper down in defeat. He was perfectly aware that there was no use in starting a discussion about this.

"Well it doesn't matter after all, it's a matter of fact that Marinette is the winner of hearts" he sighed and began to pack up the game supplies.

"She always is" Alya agreed as she ruffled Marinette's hair joyfully.

Adrien nodded too. "She's the winner of my heart for sure!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at Adrien in silence.

"Wait!" he hurried to correct himself. "That sounded different than I intended! I mean I didn't mean that… I wanted to say that Marinette is-"

"Okay I can't take this anymore" Alya said while she stood, holding her hands up and heading to the door. "I'm leaving! And you guys finally TALK to each other!" she called over her shoulder. "Lahiffe! Follow me!"

Encouragingly Nino smiled at them and gave them a thumps up before following Alya out of the room.

For a moment the two of them just stared at each other immensely strained.

But after what felt like hours Adrien suddenly relaxed and began to chuckle. "Now I know how you feel most of the time" he said with a kind smile and Marinette began to giggle too.

"But it's cute when _you're_ babbling" she objected with a slight blush on her cheeks. At some point she needed to be brave if she wanted their relationship to reach the next level and right now seemed as good as any other time. It was too late to play it cool now anyway.

"Believe me, it's incredibly cute when you're doing it too" Adrien reassured her while looking straight into her eyes and her heart began to race immediately.

Oh boy she wasn't ready for this after all.

Considerate like always Adrien realized that this was too much for her. "You want to talk about this some other time? Somewhere else preferentially?" he asked with a little laugh and Marinette smiled back at him thankfully.

"Yeah, I'd be more comfortable with that. Thank you so much."

Gently he placed his hand on hers.

"I'm looking forward to it."


	3. Personalized Flags (Day 3: Fencing)

For the first time in years Adrien was allowed to participate in a fencing tournament just for fun and yet he barely had fun at all. Of course winning wasn't the main thing for him but nothing worked out the way he wanted to and frustration hit him eventually.

Actually he wasn't the one to blame but nevertheless he was extremely tired and all his movements were sluggish and slowly. Although it wasn't like he failed awfully his opponents were simply one step ahead of him every time and he'd lost all his matches so far.

The reason for his exhaustion was the unexpected late-night akuma attack the other day and the lack of sleep resulting from it.

Gladly Adrien noticed that his last duel was about to start soon. Truth be told, he just wanted this event to end so he could sleep for the rest of the day.

Suddenly the huge door to the sports hall opened and a well-known person appeared from behind it. He felt better instantly.

Searchingly she looked around and her expression lightened up the moment she spotted him. A huge beam appeared on her face and she waved at him as she approached him quickly.

"Adrien!" Marinette exclaimed and threw herself into his arms. "I am so sorry I'm so late! I… I overslept immensely." Embarrassed she hid her face in his chest and mumbled another apology.

"Please forgive me that I missed all your other rounds. I'm glad I can see this one at least!" Slowly she let go of him and gave him a bashful smile. "I'm still sleepy though" she confessed sheepishly and a genuine laugh escape Adrien's lips. No matter what was going on she always managed to cheer him up immediately.

"We'll take a nap as soon as this is over" he suggested and Marinette's eyes gleamed with delight.

"Yes! That's a great idea!" More vigorous than before she looked up at him curiously. "So, how's it been going so far?"

Affectionately he smiled down at her before giving her a fond kiss on the forehead. "All better now that you're here" he answered while caressing her cheek. No matter how often he saw it her adorable blushing enchanted him every single time, this one making no exception.

"Participants on their marks please!" the referee requested, interrupting their conversation. Tiptoed Marinette gave Adrien a brief and soft kiss on the cheek.

"I'll be over there" she whispered lovestruck and headed to the side of the piste reluctantly, waiting for the match to start.

Obviously Adrien did a whole lot better this time.

And even though he was nearly as agile as normally already he got another boost when he saw Marinette cheering for him by waving little flags that she had made herself, just for him.

He truly had the cutest girlfriend in the world.


	4. It runs in the family (Day 4: Dinner)

Marinette hadn't even entered the room completely as Gabriel Agreste's intimidating voice echoed through the foyer already.

"So you are the Mademoiselle my son decided to date recently?" he asked and inspected her intently from head to toe while his son closed the door behind them. Immediately she straightened up tensely and her hands began to shiver a little.

Needless to say she was incredibly nervous regardless of the pep talk Adrien had given her ten minutes ago and the serious conversation they had had the other day about her being ready or not facing the questions of his unapproachable father.

Of course she was not.

But she knew very well how much it meant to Adrien introducing his first love to his father and she'd decided to fulfill his wish. Past-Marinette had been the one benefitting from the affection he had showered her with but now it was up to Present-Marinette to give that dinner her best shot and apparently she was petrified.

Suddenly she felt a warm and supportive hand on her lower back. "You're saying that as if I had a habit of ending up with a new girl every other week" Adrien said playfully scandalized to fill in her moment of anxiety.

"Interrupting other people's conversation is an evidence for bad manners, son. Please behave properly" was everything Gabriel responded before starting to approach them.

Thankfully Marinette looked up at Adrien for taking a bullet for her. His encouraging smile gave her just the strength she needed to clear her throat and to bravely look straight into his father's unimpressed eyes as he paced down the stairs.

"Yes, I am Marinette Dupain-Cheng. A pleasure meeting you" she answered only a little too late and waited until the man in front of her offered her his hand.

"Welcome, Miss Dupain-Cheng" he said as she shook his hand and then addressed his son again. "See, Adrien? These are good manners. Hopefully she's going to have a positive influence on you."

After the greeting was accomplished Gabriel turned back around and headed towards Nathalie who stood a few feet apart from them to discuss the state of preparations.

In the meantime Marinette proudly turned around and beamed at her boyfriend excidetly. "That was a success, right? He said something nice! To me, at least" she added concerned but Adrien simply wrote it off.

"That was nothing I'm not used to. In fact his criticism is the only thing convincing me that he's concious right now because he'd been oddly nice indeed" he confessed thoughtfully while relieving her of her coat.

"Guess everyone falls for my charm" she teased and he grinned.

"Perfectly understandable" he agreed and kissed the top of her head.

Nathalie came up to them and motioned the couple to follow her to the dining room. "Everything's ready, Monsieur Agreste is waiting for you at the table. Please follow me."

At first they worked through the typical small talk subjects like if they've arrived well and if Marinette liked the first course.

But suddenly, to Adrien's enormous surprise, Gabriel leaned forward and looked straight at Marinette with an interested expression.

"I'm curious. What's it like being with my son? Is he treating a young Lady like you properly?" he asked without beating about the bush.

For a moment she stared at him completely baffled. Then she warmly smiled at him.

"He is. I mean, his sense of humor is hard to bear with but else he's a perfect gentleman" she chuckled heartily and Adrien couldn't resist the urge to sigh and look at her dreamily. Even though she just disrespected his excellent sense of humor he was still head over ears in love.

"I can well believe it. My sincere apologies, I suppose he inherited that from me" his father answered with a slight smile.

It took Adrien a few moments to process what his father had just said because he was still preoccupied with adoring his girl. But as soon as the information made it to his brain he gaped at him in disbelief.

Meanwhile his father had an animated chat with Marinette about Adrien's flaws and strenghts, causing the situation to get even more surreal.

As a matter of course Adrien had known for a long time already that Marinette's kindness and love could melt icebergs but up until now he hadn't been aware of the fact that she could also warm up a frozen heart.


	5. Friendship for Dummies (Day 5: Comfort)

**Hot Stuff Agreste:** Marinette, I'm in misery. Help me

 **Cookie Princess:** Oh no! What happened? :o

 **Hot Stuff Agreste:** I don't really know. But Nino hates me.

 **Cookie Princess:** Aw c'mon, I'm quite sure he's not

At first Marinette was really worried reading Adrien's text but now she rolled her eyes in amusement. Again?

 **Hot Stuff Agreste:** Yes he is! He's not talking to me anymore, he is so mad.

Nervously Adrien stared at the screen of his phone and waited for Marinette's answer. More than ever was he in need of the confirmation that there were people out there considering him a friend. Now that he'd lost Nino that was.

 **Cookie Princess:** Ok, tell me exactly what happened. Whatever he said, I'm sure he didn't mean it the way you got it

 **Hot Stuff Agreste:** This could take a while. Maybe I'll cry here and there.

Now Marinette felt bad for Adrien. No matter how much he was overdramatizing situations like this every time it was still the way he actually felt. He was just way too sensitive and Nino's passionate nature wasn't helping the situation necessarily.

 **Cookie Princess:** Don't. You know I'm here 3

Thankfully Adrien smiled at the little icon showing Marinette's adorable beam, spreading just as much warmth and love as her words. He already felt a little better.

 **Hot Stuff Agreste:** Apparently my dad was… himself again and you know how he didn't allow me to go to this concert of Nino's favorite DJ right?

 **Hot Stuff Agreste:** Well Nino suggested going to see that awesome Hip-Hop-Dance/Musical movie instead (honestly I have no idea what this is about but Nino wants to see it at all cost) but my father did not allow that either.

 **Hot Stuff Agreste:** At this point you have to picture wads of smoke ascending from Nino's head .

 **Hot Stuff Agreste:** Nino glared at my father _outraged_ and growled through clenched teeth that if so, we'll see a stage play or opera alternatively

 **Hot Stuff Agreste:** Father said something like "I won't let my son get near someone with such a questionable attitude"

 **Hot Stuff Agreste:** Then Nino dragged me to my room and shouted at me.

 **Hot Stuff Agreste:** I don't know what he said. I just stared at him in horror.

 **Hot Stuff Agreste:** But I understood that he said something about not having it any longer before furiously storming out of the mansion.

 **Hot Stuff Agreste:** Guess he doesn't want to deal with a best friend anymore he can't even spend time with…

 **Hot Stuff Agreste:** Will you still be my friend even if we never spend any time together?

In disbelief Marinette read his texts again. He wasn't serious, was he? How could anyone be so completely stumped, no matter how big of a dork he was?

 **Cookie Princess:** …

 **Cookie Princess:** Adrien.

His heart was already beating rapidly against his chest and her weird answer unsettled him even further.

 **Hot Stuff Agreste:** Yes?

 **Cookie Princess:** I guess I kind of get how you feel. And I'm super sorry you feel so sad and stuff and I'll _always_ be your friend

Relieved Adrien relaxed a little and typed his next message smiling.

 **Hot Stuff Agreste:** Thank you so much Mari. It means a lot 3

 **Cookie Princess:** BUT

His heart stopped and started to beat faster again.

 **Hot Stuff Agreste:** ? D:

 **Cookie Princess:** Sorry but you're an idiot.

Baffled Adrien blinked at Marinette's response. What happened to the warmth and love he was longing for?

 **Hot Stuff Agreste:** What

Someone had to help this oblivious boy and if no one else was willing to do it she would.

 **Cookie Princess:** Adrien, Nino is so highly frustrated because he freaking _loves_ you, ok? You have no idea how straining it is to see you suffer from not being able to hang out with us often or, like, doing _anything_. I feel the same, I want you to be happy and do the things you love too; we all want that. But I'm not crazy enough to actually face your father.

 **Cookie Princess:** Gosh, Nino did this all for you! He is not angry at you but your dad for treating you so poorly! Like I said before, you are my friend and you'll ever be but MERDE you are SUCH an amateur when it comes to friendship (we're not blaming you tho)

 **Cookie Princess:** You mean a lot to me and maybe even more to Nino and he's trying to save you from your prison at this very moment, I'm sure. So please, _please_ stop thinking someone hates you just because they're not perfectly happy all the time.

 **Cookie Princess:** I can't even come up with someone who could possibly hate you. Not a single person.

 **Cookie Princess:** But if you keep up being a drama queen about literally solid proof of friendship and love I'll end you.

Dumbfounded Adrien stared at Marinette's messages and read her words over and over again. Even if this was true Marinette had an odd way to express nice things. Strangely enough he felt extremely happy and couldn't stop smiling nevertheless.

 **Hot Stuff Agreste:** Is this your way of comforting me?

 **Cookie Princess:** Yes.

 **Cookie Princess:** It's called tough love. And now call your best friend


	6. Bittersweet Spying (Day 6: Admiration)

"Yeah... she's awesome" Adrien sighed dreamily and Nino smirked at him.

"So you really are into her. Called it" he teased but Adrien didn't even care about it. He wouldn't be embarrassed about his true feelings.

Little did he know that Marinette stood just around the corner, hearing their every word.

Of course she knew it wasn't right to eavesdrop on others, especially friends. But she couldn't help herself when she had the chance to listen to Adrien admiring Ladybug.

She just had to ignore the slight bitter pain in her chest.

"Have you ever looked into her eyes? Like, _really_ looked into her eyes? Sure, everyone can see that they're incredibly beautiful but have you ever seen the pure kindness in them?" Adrien asked enthusiastically but didn't wait for an answer. "Looking into her eyes feels like an actual hug. A long, warm hug."

"Naw man, I guess I haven't. But her physical hugs are pretty great too" Nino responded still grinning over his best friend's more than obvious crush.

For a second Marinette forgot to scream internally and wondered when she'd hugged Nino as her heroine-persona but put that question aside assuming that she'd simply forgotten about it over all the other hugs she'd given. To swoon over Adrien's words was more appropriate at the moment anyway.

"Oh don't get me started on _these_. I have to force myself to let her go every single time" Adrien explained and thoughtfully looked at the sky. "I want to hold and protect her."

Suddenly he backtracked apologetically. "Not that she needs me to protect her! She's awesome. If she wants to that girl can kick ass."

Genuinly this time Nino smiled at him. "True. But maybe she _wants_ to be protectd by you" he pointed out nudging Adrien's shoulder with his own.

Adrien's vivid green eyes widened and he looked at Nino with an excited and hopefull expression. "You really think that's possible?" he asked under his breath and his best friend nodded at him encouragingly.

That was too much. Marinette couldn't take it any longer and walked out of her hiding spot.

Play it cool, Dupain-Cheng.

"Are you guys talking about Ladybug again?" she asked way too loud as she came up from behind them and put her arms around their shoulders. Nino raised an eyebrow at her while Adrien startled up, furiously blushing.

"Yes! Yes. Totally" he answered staring straightforward, feeling Nino's reproachful glare on his face.

He wasn't ready to tell her yet.


	7. Fateful Macarons (Day 7: Modeling)

Even in his mid-twenties Adrien Agreste was still stuck with his detested job of being a model at his father's brand _Gabriel_. Everything and everyone centred only around his looks and he felt like he didn't achieve anything by himself but that it was all thanks to designers, managers, stylists, photographers and so on that he got popular and earned way too much money after all.

It was highly unsatisfactory and he felt useless. Besides, he thought that his skills and character were quite nice too, if he may say so himself.

But at least there were some people loving him for who he was instead of what he looked like. One person in particular.

Actually he hadn't hated modeling from the very beginning. But naively he'd thought it would be a somehow fun thing to do at times as a teenager and that he could do something different later on in his life.

Oh dear, had he been wrong.

So there he was, practicing his route on the runway for his father's show at the fashion week. As if photo shoots weren't bad enough already.

But currently the straining pacing up and down wasn't the worst part.

His stomach demanded food.

They may not let him starve but that was as far as it goes. Everything he'd eaten the last few weeks had tasted like dreary nothingness.

Therefore he didn't longed for a simple meal, oh no.

He wanted baked goods.

Delicious, sinful baked goods.

Delivered by the cutest girl in all of Paris, if not the whole world.

(Perhaps the cute girl was the main thing here.)

Hesitantly he picked up his phone during his break and Nino's frustrated voicemail being all about his wish that Adrien would think about himself first "just _once_ , man!" sealed the deal. On the spur of the moment he sent a message to Marinette.

Being the blessing she was she arrived in less than 30 minutes. Adrien was so happy seeing her gorgeous appearance (and the box with the emblem of her parent's bakery on it) that he barely recognized her discomfort.

"Adrien, I'm not sure what you're up to but I get the feeling that it's not a good idea…" Marinette said nervously, looking around scared that someone would lynch her for bringing prohibited goods into a building full of perfectly shaped human bodies.

"No worries. It'll all be fine" he reassured her and kissed her on the top of her head. "More than fine, actually."

Hesitantly Marinette smiled at her boyfriend as a sharp voice rose up from behind them.

"Son, what is Miss Dupain-Cheng doing here?" Gabriel Agreste asked severely but still polite. Marinette froze in her tracks while Adrien put his arm around her waist.

"Hi father! Marinette's just helping me with something" he answered happily, behaving oddly lighthearted. The alarmed girl in his arms stared up at him with a sense of foreboding.

As expected Adrien snatched one of her macarons out of the box, stuffed the entire thing into his mouth and began to munch delightedly.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Gabriel asked, losing his composure for a second.

"Chasing my dreams" Adrien answered blithely while licking his fingertips. "Oh, and by the way, I quit."

Gabriel's face darkened. "That's not funny, Adrien" he said in a deep, threatening voice.

"Oh, don't worry" Adrien responded innocently. "It's not a joke."

He let go of Marinette's waist but she didn't even noticed as she accompanied Gabriel in his speechless consternation.

Horrified she faced the man who was still her biggest idol. Awe-inspiring as ever he stood on a higher platform a few feet away. Staring down at them furiously.

Suddenly his eyes widened in shock and despite the fact that she had no idea what could startle him even more at this point she stared back at him instead of getting to the bottom of it. This whole situation felt so surreal. Unable to cope she just stood there, numb, and stared at the least steadying figure she could possibly imagine.

"Buginette?" Adrien asked with a now quiet and intimated voice from behind her.

Still in disbelief she turned around by instinct ever so slowly to face her boyfriend.

Then her heart stopped.

And then her daze vanished immediately, making way for the hordes of butterflies flowing through her entire body. The smashing tingling left glowing and ecstatic sensations everywhere.

In front of her Adrien had gotten on one knee and held up the most stunning engagement ring she'd ever seen in her entire life with a sheepish smile.

"Will you make me the luckiest Chat Noir in history and marry this jobless idiot who loves you more than life itself?" he asked with a voice so full of love and eyes overflowing with affection that tears sprang to Marinette's eyes.

Overwhelmed with emotion she let go of the box and threw herself into Adrien's arms crying tears of joy, causing both of them to fall to the ground.

She lay on top of his chest and beamed at him, unable to speak due to her mix of crying and chuckling.

"Is that a yes?" Adrien asked laughing. He'd dropped the ring in the process of being knocked over but he couldn't care less. Her avid nod left him deliriously happy and the only thing he saw was Marinette. His Marinette.

"Of course I'll marry you, you dumb, perfect dork!" she finally exclaimed joyfully, grabbed his collar, pulled him close and planted a vigorous kiss on his lips.

As soon as she parted their lips again he cupped her face with his hands and smothered her face with little soft kisses. Giggling Marinette let it happen, completely forgetting about all the people around them.

Eventually Adrien picked up the blue ring box and after all the daydreams he'd had about this very moment he finally put a ring on the girl of his dreams.

Fondly Marinette leaned against him as Adrien lifted her up in his arms and carried his fiancée out of the building he would never set foot in again, heading to their blissful future together.


	8. Playing Cupid (Day 8: Pool Party)

Rose was very happy about how her birthday party was going.

She'd taken advantage of Chloé's five minutes of trying to be a better person and assured that they could celebrate at the pool on the rooftop of Le Grand Paris.

So now all of her friends hung out happily in the bright sunlight and were having a great time pushing each other into the water or chatting animatedly with colorful juices in their hands.

Even Max seemed to be more playful than usual and kept coming up with ridiculous bets against Kim who kept flexing his muscles at any given possibility.

Also she hadn't seen Juleka's radiant smile in a long while and that was already more than enough to perfect Rose's day.

In addition Adrien had been allowed to attend as well. Rose suspected that he'd only told his father that the party took place at Le Grand Paris so he would think it was a fancy gathering, not a cheerful birthday party. But she was perfectly fine with that because hanks to his quiet rebellion her whole class got to spend the day together and that was all Rose could have possibly asked for.

Or at least that was what she'd thought.

But suddenly she got struck by realization and saw the party as the opportunity it was. A chance to finally, after months of oblivious flirting, setting Adrien and Marinette up.

And, oh boy, was Rose ready to do it.

Immediately sensing her mood swing Juleka looked up at her girlfriend. The impish grin on her usually cute face gave her plan away instantly as Juleka followed her gaze to a reddish Marinette trying not to look at Adrien in shorts too obviously.

Juleka sighed. "Just go already" she said and gave Rose a gentle kiss on the cheek.

Buzzing with anticipation she leaped up to her feet, hugged Juleka from behind and headed to her clueless target.

"Hey Marinette, what you looking at?" she chirped innocently and sat down next to her friend. Startled about being caught in the act Marinette straightened up.

"NOTHING!" she blurted out nervously and her blush intensified even more.

"Busted!" Alya managed to pant in between uncontrollable snorts. In response she gained a mad glare from her best friend but she just kept shaking with laughter.

Rose did not really pay attention because she got distracted by Juleka's giggle at the hilarious scenario happening at the other side of the pool.

 _Snap out of it, you're on a mission!_ she scolded herself and concentrated on the blushing girl next to her again.

"It's not fair, you know," she explained while standing up "as long as he doesn't get a chance to have a look on your outfit too."

With that she hauled the taller but unprepared girl up to her feet and hurled around.

"Hey Adrien! What do you think about Marinette's outfit?" she asked the athletic boy who currently was occupied in a relentless water-battle against Nino.

Surprised he looked at Rose before his eyes snatched to Marinette. They scanned her white top before resting a little too long on the mint green floral fabric she had wrapped around her hips as a skirt.

"It's super cute!" he answered joyfully as a light pink appeared on his cheeks.

Rose saw it anyway.

Just then Nino shouted "Never get distracted!" and Adrien's eyes widened as his best friend tackled him into the water.

"Rose, what are you doing?" Marinette hissed at the girl beside her who brazenly ignored her. Unfortunately Adrien already came up again so Marinette couldn't confront her.

Tensed she tried to smile at him casually while he rubbed the back of his head and waved at her with his other hand awkwardly.

"Well, _I_ think we should take a picture of the two of you, your outfits match perfectly" Rose stated nearly causing Marinette a heart attack.

Confused Adrien looked down at his light-blue shorts. He'd thought they were perfectly ordinary, not realizing they were in fact posh designer shorts.

After a short while he shrugged and climbed out of the water.

"But… but… I-I can't…" Marinette began to stutter, hardly trying to keep her eyes on his face instead of his quite noticeable abs.

"I'm all soaked, aren't I?" he asked laughing and finally Marinette remembered that he was a normal human being after all, a friend even, and relaxed while joining his laughter.

"Guess we'll have to wait until you dried" she joked, causing an excited sparkle in his bright green eyes.

"You wanna eat some ice cream as we wait?" he asked with a hopeful smile. "I would die for some strawberry ice cream right now."

Giggling Marinette nodded. "Not a bad idea" she answered and they headed to the little refrigerator near the staircase, both forgetting not only about Rose but also Alya and Nino who still stood where they'd left them.

None of them would dare to raise a complaint though.

While Nino and Alya decided to get some apple juice Rose proudly watched the adorable pair chatting nonchalantly as Juleka appeared next to her. "You did quite well there" she whistled impressed and smiled down at her.

"This may be true" Rose responded and turned around to face Juleka, her hands on her hips "but no one's better than us."

Due to the fact that she was lost in the pair of unique reddish brown eyes she loved so much she couldn't see how Adrien hesitantly put an arm around Marinette's shoulder and how she sheepishly rested her head on his chest.


	9. How to sabotage yourself(Day 9: Jealous)

As he saw them sitting on a bench and laughing happily it hit him. Hard.

He was not ok with that.

He didn't want this.

Slowly he raised one hand and removed his earplug.

"Hey kiddo, what are you doing?" Plagg asked in surprise but his words didn't reach Adrien.

Absentmindedly he slid down the tree behind him and hunkered down, head in hands as a flood of memories and emotions crashed in on him.

Suddenly he remembered all the photo shoots she'd been around coincidentally and how she'd cheered him up with her sheer presence no matter how lame the shoot had been.

And how she'd lightened up his whole birthday party as soon as she'd arrived, that the music had sounded more splendid and the lights had seemed more radiant.

The way she was willing to do anything for her friends, especially Alya, no matter what toll it took on her.

Her passion about crafting magnificent, more or less useful things and how she used them to support and cheer for her friends.

Added to that her incredible talent for designing, including the unique hat he'd gained the honor to wear. Actually he was sure there were a lot of even greater creations of her he hadn't seen yet.

But then a cold shiver ran down his back as he relived his worry and concern about Marinette agreeing on being the hostage of The Evillustrator for everyone else's sake. She was the bravest girl he'd ever met considering she had no superpowers to rely on.

She always stood up against injustice.

And she was one of the few persons who liked him for who he was, not for his looks or his peculiar fame. Even though she was quite interested in his modeling it was always with the viewpoint of an aspiring designer and he appreciated her interest in what he did after school.

When she saw a friend was in need she never let a single stone unturned to find the best possible solution for everyone included, not only as the class representative but in her everyday life.

The way she'd confidently defended her great uncle and how she'd been willing to selflessly leave her place at the Ultimate Mega Strike III tournament to Max still left him speechless.

Yet she was also lighthearted and funny, her laugh warmed his heard every single time he was lucky enough to hear it and her clumsiness was adorable.

Acting by her side on Nino's amateur movie had been a great experience since she'd made it so easy for him to actually feel like a man in love with an independent, strong, beautiful woman.

And finally, he realized.

It had been easy because there hadn't been a need to act.

He looked up and his heart shrank at the sight of Marinette's genuine smile addressed to Nino.

That was the moment he understood that he'd completely fallen for her long ago.

And that he'd just set her on a date with his best friend.

*...*...*

Never had Adrien Agreste been more thankful to Hawkmoth and an akuma and never had he loved Nino Lahiffe more than the moment he told him he'd been wrong about Marinette and that he seemed to develop a crush on Alya.


	10. Always by your side(Day10:Holding Hands)

When the question came up what kind of charity project Madame Bustier's class would like to implement at the end of the school year the entire class made up their collective mind almost instantly.

They had a technically gifted genius, an amazing DJ, a talented artist, a girl with a phenomenal organizing ability, an ambitious journalist as well as a brilliant designer and an actual model – perfect preconditions for a fashion show.

While they discussed their first ideas it turned out that Ivan was eager to build the stage setting and Nathaniel joined him to paint the constructions as soon as they were ready.

Inspired by all the ideas Mylène took over as the director while Sabrina gladly offered to manage the administration.

Obviously Nino would take care of the music and Max would handle the lights to create a proper atmosphere.

Alya was responsible for promotion and planned to stream the whole show on the Ladyblog to spread the word as wide as possible.

Nobody was as excited as Rose was, already coming up with ideas about poses and faces, including Juleka into her plans who couldn't get out of the situation even if she'd wanted to.

To everyone's surprise Alix agreed on giving modeling a chance as well as Kim but both of them demanded sporty outfits and Marinette followed their instructions.

Due to the fact that he wouldn't have a task on the show itself even Nathaniel was willing to present at least one outfit too, preferentially a suit.

The best part in Marinette's eyes was that she, as the designer, wouldn't have to present herself on stage, thoroughly examined by a bunch of perfect strangers with no mercy when it came to criticism.

For Chloé, on the contrary, that was the primary reason to even participate.

And then there was Adrien. He said he didn't want to model since he'd done it so many times already so the whole class decided he would take on the hosting along with Mylène.

Everything was set.

The planning and preparation went well, everyone had fun and got excited for the big day.

And after 4 months of hard work, that day had finally come.

It was the same day Mylène got sick to a point where her croaky voice was barely audible.

"Ok guys" Ivan sighed as he put his phone back into his pocket and turned to face his tensed classmates "she can't talk. She may come here to at least see the results of all our effort but she won't do the hosting-thing."

A shocked murmur went through the crowd until Madame Bustier spoke up. "Adrien, are you ok with doing this on your own?"

All heads turned to Adrien.

"Eeeeehh…"

His eyes widened and he kept quiet for a while, imagining the show without Mylène by his side before snapping back to reality.

"I would do it, yes, but the text we've rehearsed won't work if it's performed by just one person."

Another, more panicky, murmur.

"Okay, is anyone willing to step in for Mylène?" Madame Bustier asked stressed, looking around.

The models were out of the picture, obviously, even though Chloè declared she could do both. As well were Nino, Max and Ivan who had to take care of what happened on and around the stage. Sabrina had to coordinate everything backstage like the order of the costumes and helping the others putting them on so she was out too.

"Alya?" Adrien asked his friend hopefully but she just shook her head apologetically.

"Sorry Adrien, I have to film the entire show. I made a promise to everyone who isn't able to come here today that they can watch and donate online instead."

Silence.

Apparently everyone seemed to be ruled out, except…

 _Oh no._

Suddenly Marinette stared into what felt like thousands of eyes full of expectations.

"No!" she exclaimed, waving her arms vehemently.

"Come on, Marinette!" Alix begged ready to fall to her knees and all their friends joined her. "You're our last hope!"

"But… But I can't do it!" Marinette explained, already feeling the anxiety rising up inside of her. "I will not get a single word out!"

Yes, she was Ladybug and yes, she was used to being in the limelight but this was different. This was about fashion, about her _passion_. What if it all went wrong? Because of her clumsiness, because of _her_?

All of a sudden Adrien stood right in front of her, put his hands on her shoulder encouragingly and looked straight into her eyes. She stared back, hypnotized by the familiar soothing green of his eyes.

"Would you at least try, Marinette? I'm sure it'll be fun" he said in a calming tone and smiled at her sincerely, sending pleasant shivers down her spine.

"Yeah man! And you're our class representative after all!" Nino shouted from his platform and Marinette acted like that was the reason why she couldn't say no anymore.

But as she stood in the darkness backstage, hearing all these voices of who knew how many people her heart beat rapidly against her chest.

If she would die out there she would at least do it at his side.

"I'm proud to introduce our hosts for today's evening; Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" Madame Bustier already announced them and left the stage.

Frozen Marinette stood still and clutched at her microphone. She couldn't go out there. Who knew, maybe Gabriel Agreste waited for her in the audience, sitting in the front row to see her failing big-time from up close.

Adrien had already took the first steps to the stage and turned around as soon as he realized she wasn't following him. Her fear was writ large in her face and he knew he had to comfort her immediately.

He walked down the stairs again and reached his hand out to her. As soon as it appeared in her field of vision she slowly looked up at him.

"Come on, we'll do this together. I won't let you down" he promised and gave her the same endearing smile she'd fallen in love with almost one year ago. She could even imagine the umbrella above them.

Hesitantly Marinette placed her hand in his and let him pull her up to the stage.

And he held her hand the entire time, not even once leaving her side or letting go of her.

It wouldn't be the last time he would hold her hand this way.


	11. Losing yourself (Day 12: Lucky Charm)

_Hello, Chien Errant. It's unacceptable that a good boy like you gets rejected by the person who should love you unconditionally from the bottom of their heart, isn't it? But don't worry, I'll be your new master and you'll be happy if you listen to me. You know what I want so in return for shelter… Fetch!_

Ladybug's lungs were aching and her entire body trembled due to exhaustion as she tried to analyze the inescapable situation she found herself in.

Never before had she fought an akuma nearly as strong as this one, which made sense since he was an extremely athletic guy. But the way he moved and attacked conveyed the impression that he was used to fight like that and he was _good_ at it. And as if this wasn't enough already it seemed that he predicted her every move and foresaw all of her attacks somehow.

She had no idea where such a strong akuma had come from and why he could read her so alarmingly well. Unfortunately she didn't have the time or the means to find out.

Apparently she wasn't sure if they would have been able to defeat the blond Labrador-like villain that clawed every citizen he passed by, causing them to hiss at each other and prowl around alone even if Chat Noir would have showed up.

But what would happen if they lose? It had never happened before and never before had she been so close to losing.

"We have no other choice!" she called out to her newest partner. "We're far from winning but I'll use it now, it's our only chance!"

"You better hurry up LB!" Rena Rouge shouted back as she dodged Chien Errant's enormous paw aiming for her shoulder.

Without hesitation Ladybug threw her yo-yo up to the sky. " _Lucky Charm!_ " she shouted, blinking against the sunlight.

The red wings disappeared to the four winds, leaving a small rectangle that fell down into her hands. Silently she stared at the frame holding a well-known picture.

It was a group shot of Nino, Alya, Adrien and herself in front of the castle in Disneyland on their last school trip. None of them had seen Adrien so joyful ever before, surrounded by the most important people to him, spending the best day of his entire life at the happiest place on earth.

She knew immediately what they were required to do.

"Rena!" she shouted and ran over to her. "We have no chance to beat him physically, he is way too strong. He has to stop by his own account" she explained as she stood back to back with her female partner.

"Oh yeah? And how _the hell_ are we going to get him doing that?" Rena asked sarcastically as she smashed Chien Errant away before he could scratch her face.

"Well, that's your job" Ladybug said and handed her the picture over their shoulders.

Without any further discussion Rena switched places with her.

"I rely on you" she said as she jumped up and spun through the air, landing a few feet away.

"I've got your back" Ladybug reassured her while she stared into these hateful green eyes that were normally so gentle and full of warmth.

She'd always thought the most terrible thing that could ever happen to her would be Adrien rejecting her but currently this was way worse. He was broken, he was filled with hate and he hurt every person around him.

Finally Rena's enchanted melody echoed all over the place and around them a colorful shimmer filled the air. Akumatized Adrien didn't care at first but then a castle rose up behind Ladybug and he stared up at it astonished. It touched something, he had no idea what it was, deep down inside of him and caused the evil spirit to lose control over his body.

With a skilled jump Ladybug twirled out of his field of vision, revealing the sight at the group of friends hugging each other and laughing as they try to take a decent picture where everyone is seen.

Frozen Chien Errant stared at the scenery in front of him, slowly stepping nearer.

A tear ran down his cheek.

Seizing the moment Rena sneaked up on him from behind and snatched the scarf that was attached to his collar like a leash.

He didn't move a single muscle.

Unceremoniously she tore the scarf in two and Ladybug threw her yo-yo at it immediately, catching the akuma arising from it.

The purified butterfly flew up into the beaming sunlight, presenting an ironical picture of peace.

She was too tired to even say her usual catchphrase as she threw the Lucky Charm back to the light blue sky where it had come from.

Adrien blinked himself back to reality while the illusion around him vanished and he stared at the space in front of him where he'd seen his friends just seconds ago.

All at once realization hit him.

And then he screamed.

He screamed in agony, falling to his knees, letting out all those feelings he'd held back for far too long. He cried out his hurt and disappointment, the cold loneliness occupying the part of his heart where a feeling of home and security was meant to be.

They were loud, desperate screams coming from inside of him, from the depths of his soul.

Hearing his screams and feeling his pain Marinette felt how her heart break and she was unable to bring herself to look at him. She wanted to be by his side, she wanted to heal him. She wanted to make it all ok.

"My time's almost over…" she mumbled and disappeared without any other word. Disbelievingly Rena Rouge followed her with her eyes but turned around as her Miraculous began to beep already as well.

Behind the next wall Marinette transformed back instantly, caught Tikki with her cookie-filled purse, leaped around and headed right back.

"Adrien!" she screamed, running up to him as fast as her legs allowed her after such a strenuous fight.

At the sound of her trusted voice he slightly raised his head, helplessly riveting on her as she approached him. He was way too weak to stand up to run and meet her, no matter how badly he wanted to feel her soothing warmth.

As soon as she reached his side she fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him to her chest tightly yet carefully.

"Marinette…" Adrien whispered barely audible in between his sobs. "Please tell me I didn't hurt you. I can't remember. I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked in tears and held fast onto her.

Comfortingly she stroked his head while he wept copiously on her shoulder, barely keeping herself from crying her eyes out as well.

"You didn't hurt me. You didn't hurt anyone. Everything is ok" she answered under her breath, trembling due to his heartbreaking suffering.

"I am _so_ sorry" he whispered in a tone full of self-hatred and contempt, unable to face her.

Now she couldn't hold them back any longer so tears ran down Marinette's cheeks as she pressed a desperate kiss on Adrien's hair.

"No, don't be. You didn't do anything wrong. You're fine. You're friends are fine and so is all of Paris. It's all good. You'll be all good."

She cradled him, her eyes shut as she caressed his hair.

"I promise."

* * *

CeceTheFanQue: (since you wrote a guest review I can't text you privately so here you go) Oh my god, yes! I am super happy I inspired you, go ahead and write to your heart's content! If you want to you can mention my One Shot but you don't have to 3


	12. Don't drink and love (Day 14: Confess)

Yes, alcohol was a bad thing and yes, Marinette knew that she wasn't allowed to drink yet but a little bit, just to try it, wouldn't hurt, would it? After all it was Nino's 17th birthday so it was the perfect occasion! Yes, she broke a rule (a law, even) _but_ she did it with guilty conscience. What could possibly go wrong?

A lot, apparently.

How was she supposed to know that she had a low tolerance for alcohol? And no one had told her that one should eat before drinking!

So there she was; tipsy from just one glass of champagne already and inauspiciously the effect of the shot she'd drunk with the birthday boy hadn't even set in yet.

Adrien, who hadn't touched a single drop, looked at her in concern.

Up until this point he'd been fine with the whole "drinking for the first time just to try it"-thing since no one went overboard (nearly impossible if you only have one champagne bottle and half a bottle of booze for four people) but as soon as pure, innocent Marinette got corrupted by it he cursed it.

Since nobody else seemed to worry even slightly he decided to take care of her himself while Alya and Nino shouted almost aggressively " ** _You_** _don't know_ ** _you're_** _beautiful!"_ into their karaoke microphones as well as at each other.

"Adrieeeeeeen!" Marinette exclaimed delightedly the moment he walked up to her.

An amused smile played around his lips. She was so incredibly cute.

"Hey Marinette, how are you?" he asked as he sat down next to her. Immediately she sagged and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I dunno" she mumbled and huddled up against him. "I feel weird but funny but giddy and I guess I shouldn't have drunk anything but still I enjoy it and it's weird" she explained and Adrien had trouble following her but she didn't seem to await any kind of reaction anyway.

"You're so comfy" she sighed peacefully and rubbed her face against his sleeve while he smiled down at the curled up girl snuggling his arm. Sure, he didn't enjoy the fact that Marinette was out of her right mind but she was just so freaking adorable that he couldn't complain.

Suddenly she sat up straight.

"Do you still remember the moment you lent me your umbrella on the first day we met?"

Actually he wanted to answer that of course he remembered the moment he realized Marinette would be a very special person to him (how could he ever forget that?) but she continued without any hesitation.

"Sorry for not handing it back by the way but it was yours and you touched it with your wonderful hands so… yeah, I just kept it. It's been, like what, two years? Man, I sure am loyal. Anyway, I fell for you this very moment. Oh dear, I could have smothered your face with kisses right then and there."

She crumpled back down to his side.

"You're just so perfect and I truly love you ever since. Do you know that?" she asked wonderingly and those big, innocent eyes of hers looking up at him caused his heart to leap into his throat.

Speechless he lost himself in their shiny blue and slowly but surely a blush appeared on his cheeks and intensified to a bright red as he made sense out of her fast babbling.

"Uhm… uh… I… I ha-have to go" he stammered and stood up tensed, instantly missing her warm and soft presence by his side.

"Okay" Marinette who'd slid down and was now lying on the couch answered casually as she raised her hand. "Bye-bye, dreamish boy!"

Obviously she'd forgotten that she just asked him a question.

Stiffly Adrien hurried towards the toilet, passing a baffled Nino who decided to follow his dazed friend.

Behind him Alya, who'd witnessed the last part of Marinette's confession, appeared and followed the boys with her eyes before turning to face the happily humming girl on the couch.

"Uhm Marinette? You _do_ realize that you just explained your feelings to him in exquisite detail, right?" she asked, looking down at her carefree (a little too carefree, apparently) best friend.

"Oh shush Alya!" Marinette slurred and stopped her with a wave of her hand.

 _More like oh shit Alya,_ the clearly more sober of the two of them thought to herself but couldn't help the mischievous pleasure rising up inside of her.

Tomorrow would be a great day.


	13. Ash of a burning heart (Day15:Heartache)

It had been a normal day like any other.

It had been a normal akuma like any other.

Until Chat Noir got crashed into the wall by a ferocious blow and fell to the ground motionlessly.

The evil barber held him in place and sadistically kept hurting him just for the fun of it.

Ladybug could only watch from her hiding spot, pressing her hand to her mouth to hold back her fearful screams and cries from echoing through the cold and empty hall.

Finally, after way too much damage was done, the akuma let go of Chat and slid the ring off of his finger.

A green light surrounded the lifeless body of Paris' hero as his black Kwami got absorbed into the Miraculous. Ladybug wanted to run up to them to stop this madness immediately but she fought back the urge. It wouldn't help anyone if both of them would be beaten up and unconscious, least of all her partner who she wanted to save at all costs.

As quiet as possible she used her Lucky Charm, praying for anything that could remedy the desperate situation. But fate wrecked all hope as a compression bandage fell into her hands.

When she realized what it was for her eyes widened in shock and she looked back at Chat but she couldn't really see him from that far. All she could perceive was the puddle of blood next to his head that grew wider with every passing second.

"I'll find you, little bug!" the akumatized citizen shouted out to the streets and jumped out of the window of the building he and Chat Noir had destroyed nearly entirely during their fight.

Ignoring the beeping of her earrings Ladybug rushed to Chat's side as soon as the akuma was out of sight.

 _Please don't be dead._

She got closer and partway she recognized his clothes, his hair, his face.

Struck with horror she froze in her tracks and stared at him.

Adrien Agreste, the only boy she'd ever loved wholeheartedly, laid there between debris and ashes, blood streaming out of his head.

Tears filled her vision and she wasn't able to see anything anymore in the dim light of this day's afternoon. Her whole body went numb except for a single spot inside of her.

It felt like a thousand burning needles got shot into her heart one by one before it burst into flames. Agonizing pain cut through her chest and she nearly fainted due to its all-consuming force hitting her.

"Hurry, Marinette" Tikki whispered shakily, not only because of her exhaustion. Her holder hadn't even realized that she'd transformed back.

More stumbling than walking Marinette conquered the remaining distance between them and broke down next to him, trembling at her convulsing sobs.

"Adrien! Adrien please, stay with me! You'll get through this! You _have_ to get through this! Stay with me Adrien" she cried out tearfully as she pressed the bandage to his gaping wound, not knowing if he could even hear her at all or if it was too late already.

"Ma…Mari…nette" he whispered barely audible and obviously suffered intensely.

"Adrien!" she exclaimed again, cupping his face with her hands and blinking away the tears hindering her sight.

He was smiling at her. Blood ran down his temple and his eyes were narrowed in pain but he still managed to slightly raise one corner of his mouth.

Marinette wanted to let out a cry of desperation at how much he looked like Chat this way.

 _Why is this happening right now? Why does it happen like this?_

"My lady" Adrien managed to say with a quavering voice but failed the attempt to raise his hand up to her face.

"Shut up chaton, we'll talk about this later when you're safe and sound" she hissed at him, way angrier than she intended to. She couldn't control her emotions anymore.

Slowly he opened his mouth again but she hushed him and removed her jacket from her shoulders to lay it on top of him.

Threateningly the walls surrounding them creaked, announcing their upcoming collapse.

"Save yourself" Adrien said in a tone that would have been pleading if his voice would have been more than a breath.

"Cut the crap" Marinette answered with a sad smile as she caressed his cheek before she hugged him close and leaned over him.

"I love you" they whispered simultaneously as the roof above their heads crashed down onto them.


	14. In the Rain again (Day 18: Umbrella)

Author's note: YES I was away WAY too long I am so sorry but I just went overboard with trying to write a short every day and killed my motivation. I still had to make up for the angst though so here you have fluff on fluff on fluff uwu

And for those interested; Marichat May is just around the corner and I'm going to participate in this as well :3

* * *

This is a continuation of Don't drink and love (Day 14)!

* * *

"I'm sorry son but I don't think that Marinette would be comfortable with meeting you right now" Tom apologized to Adrien and mumbled "also she's got a bad hangover" to himself so the innocent, nervous boy in front of the counter couldn't hear him. Apparently he was more than sure that his daughter didn't drink much but alcohol seemed to be her natural enemy.

"Oh- uhm- yeah, well I understand, yes" Adrien stammered as all the hard-earned courage he'd built up to actually go to her home to talk to Marinette vanished within seconds.

With a small smile Tom exhaled and inspected the fidgeting jitterbug, clearly clueless about what to do next. That he didn't want to go without having achieved anything was as obvious as that this boy and his daughter had blooming feelings for each other.

So he, Tom Dupain, declared it his very own mission to get this awkward yet adorable mess sorted out!

Who said you can't pick your own son-in-law?

"I'll see what I can do but don't get your hopes up" he said as indifferent as possible but the sparkling beam he got as an answer threatened his poker face immensely. Now he understood why Marinette's best friend always referred to him as 'the pretty sunshine boy'.

"You will? Thank you so much Monsieur!" sunshine boy exclaimed euphorically before clearing his throat and calming down a little.

 _Control yourself, Agreste._

"Watch the bakery while I'm gone, would you?" Tom turned around and headed to the stairs leading to their personal space. On his way he passed his wife that leaned against the doorframe and shook her head at him with an amused smile. He answered with a wide grin and she began to giggle.

"That's my husband all over" she chuckled and kissed his cheek. "You may be the only father in all of Paris setting his daughter up instead of chasing every boy away."

Playfully he scoffed. "If I wouldn't do it my dear wife would" he responded and the proud grin on Sabine's face was all proof needed.

Since the very first time he'd climbed them he hated the stairs to Marinette's room with a fiery passion. They were steep, the stairs were small and the trap door was nothing less than a nightmare.

But he would do anything for the happiness of his little girl.

"Marinette?" he asked carefully after knocking while he entered her room.

"Donscreamame" she mumbled into her pillow and curled up.

With a smirk he remembered his first hangover and how much he wanted to kill his parents for not letting him suffer in peace.

Surely he would grant his beloved Marinette the exact same experience.

"There's a gentleman in the bakery dying to speak to you" he explained casually (yet louder than necessary) causing her to sit up straight blazingly fast. Her painful grimace showed that she regretted it immediately so she just slumped back on her back.

"Tell him I'm not home" she answered embarrassed and hid her face behind her blanket.

"No, better tell him I passed away! Yes, I'm dead!"

Holding in his laughter Tom started a last attempt.

"Oh Netti, but he really is so nice and…"

"I'm dead!" she yelled into her pillow as loud as she could without causing her head to burst (which wasn't very loud).

"Guess I'll send him away then" he responded and slowly turned around, not banning the smirk off of his face.

"Do that" Marinette answered deadpanned and turned to her side, ready to truly die due to a mix of shame and alcohol abuse.

"And never call me Netti again!" she 'shouted' after him as he climbed down Mount Everstairs.

"Guess she's not coming. Sorry again, son" shrugging Tom entered the bakery finding a concentrated Adrien narrowing his eyes at every costumer entering. Seemed he took the 'look over the bakery'-thing quite serious.

As soon as he heard the man's words he straightened up and smiled at him politely.

"Oh, it's okay Monsieur. I wouldn't want to pressure her." Sheepishly he fumbled at his jacket before getting himself to actually leave.

"Nevertheless, thank you very much for the trouble. Have a good day!" he waved and left the bakery hesitantly.

What a nice guy Marinette had picked to give her heart to.

Thanks to his fatherly senses he could nearly hear his daughter groaning and tearing her hair as she accepted that she couldn't let him leave like that.

Satisfied with his work he watched the blonde boy walking through the rain as he saw a shaky ball of colorful blankets come running/stumbling from the other side of the building.

Curiously his wife accompanied him.

Resigned about the fact that he wouldn't get the words he'd prepared off his chest Adrien headed outside, sighing as he realized that it'd started to rain while he'd been inside.

Discouraged he took a few steps towards the main street but suddenly a shadow appeared above him.

Surprised he turned around, facing a sheepish Marinette wrapped in a self-made patchwork blanket holding an umbrella – his umbrella, to be exact – over their heads.

For a second they just stood there like this, staring into each other's eyes.

She was so beautiful.

"Guess it's time to give it back after all" she said and laughed nervously, remembering very well what she'd said the other day. Luckily her face had been red the whole time so he couldn't see the uprising blush. Little did she know that he barely even heard what she'd just said.

He was too smitten by her sheer appearance.

With bleary eyes, messy hair and burning cheeks she still (or even more) caused the urge inside of him to pull her into his arms and just hold her close as long as possible. Preferably forever.

He wanted to feel her warmth again, her soft skin. He wanted to smell her unique scent and he wanted her loosen strands of hair tickling his chin.

He wanted to place a butterfly kiss on her forehead, on the tip of her nose, on her cheeks, on her…

Welp, there goes his well prepared speech.

What did he want to tell her again?

"…Adrien?" she asked insecurely and he realized he must have stared at her without saying a word for quite a while. Baffled he blinked himself back to reality and with a small smile Marinette offered her help.

"What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked innocently as if she wasn't perfectly aware about what he wanted to talk about.

"I- uh…uhm. I wanted…"

Damn, her lovely eyes were so distracting! How was he supposed to concentrate like this?

 _Screw it._

"I wanted to do this" he whispered tenderly, not averting his eyes from these bright red lips of hers and leaned in ever so slowly so she could back down if she wanted to.

She didn't.

A few feet away Parisian citizens wondered what got into the local bakers causing them to cheer and performing little victory dances.


End file.
